AN: Okay, I know in this story Sesshoumaru calls Kagome a bitch, a lot. I figure since he's a dog demon he'd call all females bitches, regardless of her personality, so rather then being insulting use the tone of someone saying 'woman' or 'girl.' Oh, and please, please, please review. All comments are welcome.

Trade

By Oniko

Created by Rumiko Takahashi

Kagome ran through the woods at breakneck speed. With Shippo distracting Inu Yasha she might actually make it home without a hassle. Her mind registered the rustle of bushes behind her. "Sit!"

"Bitch!" She felt a hand grasp her ankle and she crashed to the ground.

"Damnit, Inu Yasha I have to go home. Now LET GO!" she yelled and tried kicking at him with her other foot.

"No! We have to finish looking for the shards I am not going to let you run away again." His claws started to dig into her skin.

"Oww! Let go. Let go. Let go. SIT!" She yelled pulling on her leg, much to her surprise his grasp did slip a little, enough for her to reach a tree branch to use as leverage. "Let go. Let go. Let go. SIT!"

"Shit! Damn! You get back here!" he yelled slashing his claws through the empty air as his grasp slipped from her ankle completely and sent her tumbling back to the ground. Out of his reach. She sat stunned for a few moments from the impact but soon leapt to her feet and was running again for the well to get home before Inu Yasha could stand again. Two demons watched her enter the well unobserved.

"Lord, do you wish to follow her?" Jaken asked distain clear in his voice.

"Not now." Sesshoumaru said looking down into the well, "My Brother must be taken care of first."

Kagome stared blindly out her dark window and yawned. She had way too much stuff to catch up on. Even with all the notes her friends let her borrow she still fell further and further behind the rest of the class.

"And it's all Inu Yasha's fault." She griped to no one in particular. She noticed that she had been staring at golden eyes in the darkness for several long moments. "Speak of the devil."

Opening the window she stuck her head and shoulders out into the cool night air.

"Inu Yasha, I told." She trailed off as she came face to face with Sesshoumaru. "You're not Inu Yasha."

He smiled at her, a crooked half-smile that caused some small voice in that back of her head to start babbling like the girls at school. Damn, but he's cute. "I should hope not."

"I don't suppose you could come back later if I told you that I can't come out and play right now?"

"I beg you pardon?" Sesshoumaru looked at her in confusion.

"You're going to kidnap me and trade me to Inu Yasha for the tetsusaiga."

He smiled at her again, setting of another round of internal babbling Shut UP! "Very good, you are much more perceptive then my useless excuse for a brother."

She ducked back inside her room and watched Sesshoumaru climb in after her.

"Look, can I get a few things together?" You, girl, are warped; worrying about studying at a time like this. She told herself.

He looked around her room before turning to face her directly. "You're taking this surprisingly well."

She shrugged. "I'm just too tired right now to scream, anyways, nobody's home."

He looked at her in surprise. She threw her books and a spare set of clothing into her schoolbag without waiting for a response. Her rucksack was still being loaded down in the kitchen and she was damned if she was going to haul that thing around for Sesshoumaru and Jaken. Sesshoumaru watched her pack with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What?" she asked.

He started a bit at her question, "Are you ready yet?"

"Are we in a hurry?" she asked.

"Jaken is distracting my brother, I wish to be away from the area before the fool realizes that Jaken and the oni are only a distraction. If he ever does."

She winced at the barb but really couldn't come up with anything to refute Sesshoumaru's statement. Subtle just wasn't in Inu Yasha's vocabulary. So, she changed subjects. "Inu Yasha will come and rescue me."

"I should hope so." Sesshoumaru agreed. "Otherwise this endeavor would be quite useless."

Sesshoumaru stared at the sleeping woman. She was not at all like he expected. He had planned on simply dumping her into one of the dungeons until his brother showed up but something about her demanded courtesy, and at the last minute placed her in one of his guestrooms. Most humans screamed and ran when they realized what he was, sometimes the males would attempt to fight him, but not for long. Granted his experience with humans was somewhat limited and human bitches even less so. Yet his brother's bitch did neither, instead she talked back at him with a blatant audacity that surprised him. "Can I pack a few things" indeed. He snorted. No she was definitely not what he expected.

He summoned a servant. A white lady coalesced beside him. She was a silent spirit of some long ago living woman. "Change her out of those clothes." He said as he pulled out the other uniform he saw her pack. He frowned over the short skirt, how could his brother let his bitch run around in practically nothing like this, it was shameful, an embarrassment to the family. She was going have to wear something else, especially with Rin here. The pup was just not old enough to be exposed to something like that. "Then burn these. And tell me when Jaken returns."

The white lady bowed as he swept out of the room.

... ... ...

Kagome awoke with the morning sun in her eyes. She groaned and rolled over pulling the thick blankets over her face before she realized that something was very wrong. For one thing she never got the morning sun in her eyes at home, and she was supposed to be up all night anyways. Sitting up she looked around an ornately decorated room. Her schoolbag was on a table next to the door. She shivered and realized that she wasn't wearing anything. Blushing furiously she dove for the bag and the uniform inside. Only to find it gone, she dumped out the entire contents of the bag on the table in the vague hopes that it got shoved to the bottom of the bag, but no it was gone completely. Looking around again she noticed that a lady's kimono was draped across the foot of the bed. The blue-green silk was richly embroidered with birds and flowers. Without any other options available she dressed in the formal clothing. She jumped when a knock came at the door just as she finished dressing. "Yes?"

She backed up as a pale woman walked through the door. A ghostly voice whispered, "Breakfast is served in the informal dining hall, mistress."

"Uh, th-thank you." Kagome stuttered. The woman bowed deeply and vanished. Kagome sat on the bed for a few moments and worked up the courage to face Sesshoumaru and who ever else would be coming to breakfast. She was not going to let that bastard have the satisfaction of seeing her freaked out, and then there was the matter of stealing her clothes, where does he get off doing that to her, she needed those uniforms for school. Resolutely she stood up and walked out the door. Focusing on being angry would help her survive ordeal this more then being scared would. She was sure of that.

The White Lady was waiting for Kagome outside her room. The ghost bowed again and whispered, "This way please."

Kagome fought to shove her heart back down her throat and into its proper place. "Th-thank you." She followed the ghost pausing to open doors where the ghost simply floated through them. This is beyond weird.

A final door slid open and the ghost was gone. The room she walked into was a small dining room with a table was set for four people. Only two of which were already there. A cute little girl in a grass stained yukata sat frowning at Jaken. At the sound of the door sliding shut the girl jumped up and ran to Kagome looking her up and down with wide eyes. "Who're you? I'm Rin. I like your dress. Do you like mine? Jaken said I had to look nice cause we have guests. Are you our guest? You're pretty. Are you going to be Sesshoumaru's girlfriend? I think he-"

"Rin, that's enough." Kagome was so absorbed in Rin's rapid-fire questions that she completely missed Sesshoumaru's entrance. Rin smiled beatifically at both of them and plopped down at her place dragging Kagome with her "Sit next to me."

Sesshoumaru smiled at Kagome's slightly panicked expression as he took his place at the head of the table. She in turn glared at him over Rin's head. Rin rattled on about her day cheerfully unperturbed by Sesshoumaru's stern tone. Eventually the food was gone and breakfast was over. Rin was guided away by a suffering Jaken to her 'writing lessons' leaving Kagome and Sesshoumaru sitting alone over an empty table.

The extended silence was beginning to make Kagome uncomfortable. She shifted nervously and stared at the fascinating wood grain patterns in the table. She was so focused at not looking at anything that she nearly jumped a foot when Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. He was watching her with that little half smile again; she tried to shift her eyes back to the table but his golden eyes held her captive. "I believe you will be our guest here for several days."

"Oh? Why is that? Isn't Inu Yasha coming?" she asked not really sure if she wanted him to answer the question.

His smile widened "Oh he will. I just decided to let him suffer for a few days before alerting him to your presence in my home. Until then, the grounds are open to you. If you need anything, simply ask the White Lady she will be your lady-in-waiting during your stay here."

"Thank you." Kagome bowed again when she looked up Sesshoumaru was gone. She turned to find the White Lady waiting patiently behind her. "Um, how do I get back to my room?"

The White Lady bowed and led her out of the room.

"Do you have a name?" Kagome asked as she trotted ahead a few steps to walk beside the ghostly figure. The white lady walked down the hall silently. Kagome had to sidestep around a lamp and walked through the lady's dress, a cold chill shot up Kagome's spine "Oh, sorry about that."

Kagome fell back behind the spirit rubbing her arms trying to keep warm in the sudden chill. They continued on to her room in silence. Kagome stood in the doorway wondering how to dismiss a servant "well, um, thank you. I, uh, don't think I'll be needing anything. Um."

The White Lady bowed deeply and began to fade away. Before she was gone completely her ghostly voice whispered "Minako, Mistress."

Kagome jumped. "What? Oh! Your name! Is that your name?" But she was gone.

On the fifth day of her 'capture,' Kagome gazed out at the starry sky from the balcony attached to her suite. Her days set into a simple routine. She marveled at how much studying she managed to cram into the past several days, even with Rin all too thrilled to be a distraction. She might actually pass her next test, Kagome smiled at the thought.

"What are you grinning at?" a voice growled from next to her. She turned and looked at Sesshoumaru without jumping out of her skin. Between the two of them the brothers were desensitizing her to that trick.

"Oh, I'm thinking I might actually be able to pass my tests next week. Keeping up with school is just so difficult what with Inu Yasha constantly dragging me around Japan kicking and screaming."

"You don't like being with my brother?" She could hear the surprise in his voice.

"Would anyone?" she asked sarcastically, but then corrected herself. "No, I do. But God! I used to have a life once upon a time. Your brother is just so demanding, I can't do anything but be with him. He's worse then a two-year old."

Sesshoumaru sat down next to her on the balcony's small bench, his body warm against hers through the thin silk. She shifted down the bench as far as she could but there was not enough room to go anywhere. She'd be damned if she'd let him know he'd made her uncomfortable. The bastard would probably just enjoy that she though sourly.

As he shifted to look at her his hand brushed hers. "You're cold." He raised his hand to brush at her cheek before wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She could feel the blush rising in her cheeks and her eyes widening in shock as she stared resolutely out at the stars. His warm body wrapped around hers.

I am not going to let him get to me. I am not going to let him get to me. I am not going to , forget it. She leapt up and dashed into her room, slamming and locking the balcony door "Bastard can find his own way down. Minako?"

The ghost coalesced in front of her, "Yes mistress?"

"Well, um." Kagome looked nervously out the balcony door and considered how to put it, "Um, I just don't want to be alone right now, o.k?"

"Oh-kaay." Minako repeated the new phrase slowly. They had become friends during the past couple of days and talked about everything. The girl's image had really improved since Kagome first met her, literally. What had been a hazy indistinct white light was now an image that could almost be mistaken for a live person. Except for that really annoying habit of taking shortcuts through the walls. Minako sat down gracefully, temporarily distracted from her paranoia, Kagome watched her enviously. Minako did everything gracefully, oh the virtues of being dead. Minako looked at Kagome, looked at the balcony door, then back to Kagome. "Is there someone out there?"

"NO!"

"Really?" She asked then got to her feet "then you wont mind me opening the door will you?"

"Well, uh." Kagome said intelligently "Why?"

"Because it's stuffy in here."

"How can you tell?" Kagome asked desperately looking for a way out.

"You appear at bit flushed."

Kagome raised her hands to her cheeks and, if possible, blushed harder. "I think it's burned in."

The balcony door swung open and Minako peered outside "There's no one here."

"Thank god." Kagome sighed.

"So now, perhaps you'll tell me what happened." Minako appeared beside her with curiosity etched on her pale features.

"Um, well, I'm not exactly sure." Kagome started but fell silent.

"Tell me or I'll.I'll haunt you." The ghost girl smiled at her, Kagome groaned and threw a pillow through her. The two girls laughed and settled down together.

Sesshoumaru watched the girls talk from across the interior gardens that separated the balcony he now stood on from the other. Kagome's scent lingered on his skin. He closed his eyes remembering the soft feel of her cool skin and warm breath. Lifting his hand to his mouth he could taste her lingering presence. He smiled to himself as a plan began to form in the back of his mind.

Kagome kept Minako with her until late into the night when she was too tired to stay awake any longer. "I'm so sorry for taking up your time like this Mina-chan."

The ghost looked at her with a wistful expression on her pale face. "I don't mind at all, it's so nice having someone to talk to. I get so lonely here in the castle. I'm the one who should be apologizing to you, keeping you up like this. The living need to sleep. Goodnight, Kagome-chan."

"Goodnight, Mina-." Kagome murmured as she drifted off. Mina smiled down at her and tucked the blankets around the sleeping girl as she faded away into the darkness.

As soon as the ghost girl vanished Kagome moaned and thrashed as her dreams headed down into a nightmare. She was wading through a river of blood. It was warm, living blood that flowed across her skin, burning hot. The ground suddenly gave way beneah her and she sank into the hot liquid. She fought her way to the surface but couldn't find it. Her lungs burned for air, she opened her mouth to scream, and hot blood filled her mouth and seared her lungs. She felt strong arms grab her and held her, the blood was gone and she could breath again. She blinked away tears and looked up into soft golden eyes. She snuggled closer to Inu Yasha's warm body and wished she could stay like this forever.

She woke up cuddle next to somebody. As the dream faded, Kagome's mind began to register details in the waking world. In the darkened room she could make out very little few details. But she could tell that, other then the covers, there was not a stitch of clothing between them. She looked up into Sessoumaru's face and felt panic freeze her body.

He reached up with his hand to gently tuck a strand of hair behind her ears, his claws brushing lightly across her skin sending shivers down her spine. In a soft, almost inaudible voice he said, "You're in heat."

It took her a few moments for the meaning of the words to sink in. Her eyes widened "No!"

He moved faster then her shocked and tired mind could register, She found herself pinned beneath him with his mouth clamped over hers. Her, somewhat belated, reactions finally set in. She bit down on his lip and worked one hand free; as her arm came loose from under his weight her palm shot up and cracked him hard on the jaw. He reared back in surprise. She took the opportunity to roll over, out of bed. She didn't get very far when he grabbed her from be hind and pulled her against his body. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, licking her sweaty skin. "Why do you fight? Don't' you want this?"

"No. Please, don't" She whimpered as his hand slid down her stomach. When she felt his fingers probing between her legs she tried to fight, kicking and squirming ineffectually. He held her too tight. Suddenly, he let go and backed off; the fight was over as quickly as it had begun.

He smirked "So, my useless brother can't even get it up for his bitch. Doesn't surprise me."

She gaped at him in shock for a few moments, and then realized that she wasn't wearing anything and scrambled to cover herself with torn blankets. When did that happen? When she looked back he was gone.

Inu Yasha sulked in his tree; he'd already been kicked out of Kaede's house for pacing too much. They were all worried about Kagome's disappearance but that was no excuse for the old hag to be so cranky.

"Greetings brother." Shesshoumaru said from across a small opening between the trees. Inu Yasha drew the tetsusaiga. The rusty blade shifted into the glowing white fang in his hands. "Impeccable timing. I need to kill something right now."

"Put the blade away, we have something else to discuss."

"The only thing I wish to 'discuss' with you is your funeral arrangements." Inu Yasha leapt forward across the small gulf, sword raised high. Sesshoumaru also leapt forward they met midway though the trees. Sesshoumaru's shoulder slammed into Inu Yasha's stomach throwing him back against the tree. The thick trunk cracked audibly from the impact. Sesshoumaru lifted his brother's face by the chin and gently traced two fingers down Inu Yasha's cheek. His claws raised welts on the boy's face but Sesshoumaru was careful not to break the skin. The scent of blood might interfere with the more delicate scents on his skin. Inu Yasha's eyes grew wide. "You bastard. You didn't."

Sesshoumaru smirked. "Poor little mongrel lost your panting bitch to someone else."

"Liar. She wouldn't." Inu Yasha could here the desperation in his voice. He knew more about humans then his brother and knew human girls didn't do THAT when they were in heat. But Kagome was so very different from other human girls and they had never been alone during that time so he really couldn't be sure. The doubt ate at his heart.

Sesshoumaru smiled wider at his brother's obvious agony, and brushed his fingers across Inu Yasha's mouth. "She begged."

"No!" Inu Yasha pushed himself away from Sesshoumaru and the tree, loosing his balance he fell to the ground.

"Tomorrow night by the well, you and my father's sword, no one else, nothing else. Or else."

"Or else what? Or else what, you bastard?" But Sesshoumaru was already gone.

Inu Yasha crumpled into a ball at the base of the tree. He could taste both Kagome and Sesshoumaru on his lips. A whimper escaped his throat.

It was just past sunset the next day when Inu Yasha caught Kagome's scent on the night wind. Inu Yasha ran off to the Bone Gobbling Well Tetsusaiga in hand. Sesshoumaru would not survive this time.

Inu Yasha arrived in the clearing bare moments after smelling Kagome's scent. She lay unconscious in the ground dressed in lady's clothing of the finest silk. It was a striking silvery-blue color, just like her eyes.

"Kagome!" He yelled and ran to her side. Only to slam into some force that surrounded her. He knelt on the ground and pounded on the shield. "Kagome! Wake up!"

"She can't hear you, mongrel. The magic that keeps her imprisoned keeps her asleep." Sesshoumaru said from behind him. "You will give me the katana and in turn I will give you the key to the enchantment that holds your bitch."

"I have a better idea." Inu Yasha said turning around and drawing the tetsusaiga. "You die, and I take the key from your dead body."

Sesshoumaru easily avoided Inu Yasha's attack. "You are so predictable."

A slash to the stomach had Inu Yasha staggering back. "Kill me and you'll never get the key. No food and no water, it should take your human bitch several days to die."

"You bastard." Inu Yasha growled.

"Drop my fathers sword, mongrel. Good, back away from it, further. Now, go stand over there, good boy." Inu Yasha stood several meters away from the sword and trembled in suppressed anger. Sesshoumaru turned away from him and called into the trees "Rin! Child, come here."

Rin ran out from behind the cover of bushed she was hiding in, gave Inu Yasha a wide berth as she scooted around him and stopped in font of Sesshoumaru. "The ring I told you to hold for me. I need it now."

"But I likes the ring." She whined, hiding her hands behind her back.

"Now, Rin!" Sesshoumaru barked, the girl pouted but took a ring from her finger and gave it to him. "Now, child, I need you to do one more thing. Pick up that sword on the ground there."

Rin nodded and trotted over to the sword. Inu Yasha reached out to stop her "No!"

She paused and looked at him then back at Sesshoumaru, "Brother, it's your choice, our father's sword or your bitch's life."

"No." Inu Yasha moaned softly and looked over at Kagome's sleeping form. She looked like a lady with her inky black hair artfully arranged around her face and a delicate gold chain at her throat. I'm sorry father. "The key."

"Here." Sesshoumaru held up the small ring and slowly stepped forward towards Inu Yasha. He stopped at arms length away holding out the ring. It was carved from a single piece of blue jade into the form of a dragon eating it's own tail. With shaking hands Inu Yasha took the ring from his brother. "If this is a lie, I will kill you."

"No lies, brother. Not this time." Sesshoumaru leapt past him to land next to the little girl holding the tetsusaiga awkwardly. He picked her up and looked back at his brother "If I never see you again it will only be too soon."

"I will kill you for this, you bastard." Inu Yasha growled at him but Sesshoumaru made no indication that he had heard as he leapt with the girl and the sword into the night sky.

Inu Yasha approached Kagome trembling with apprehension. He placed the ring on his finger, the cool stone shifted slightly as it adjusted to fit his finger. He stepped through the barrier slowly, ready for some sign of betrayal. He knelt down and lifted Kagome's head to rest in his lap and patted her cheek gently. "Kagome?"

"Damnit, wake up already." Inu Yasha felt tears burning in his eyes "Please, wake up you stupid bitch."

He lifted her hand to his face, closing his eyes he placed her palm against his cheek. He gradually became aware of Sesshoumaru's lingering scent on her skin. He felt a familiar rage begin to replace the panic. His eyes snapped open and he found himself staring at a blue dragon. He pulled his head up and looked again at her wrist

A bangle carved from a single piece of blue jade was wrapped around her wrist, carved into a shape of a dragon eating it's own tail. He grabbed hold of the bracelet and ripped it off. The thing twisted in his grip and wrapped itself around his wrist. He stared at it a moment and shrugged, Kaede could look at it later.

"Kagome?" He looked back down at the girl, her eyes flickered and opened.

"Inu Yasha? What happened?" she sat up and swayed a little, he pulled her back to lean against his chest.

"I was hoping you'd tell me." He said into her hair and wrapped his arms around her to keep her from pushing away.

"Well, Sesshoumaru came to my side of the well. . . Oh Inu Yasha! The Tetsusaiga!" She twisted around to look up at him. "He was after the tetsusaiga."

"I know."

"He didn't get it, did he?" She looked around before looking back at him with tears in her eyes. "Inu Yasha I'm so sorry."

"It'll be alright." He said stoking her hair gently.

"I know how much the sword meant to you. I'm sorry. This is all my fault." She continued apologizing profusely with tears streaming down her cheeks. He pulled her chin up and forced her to look at him.

"Will you shut up. It's not your fault."

"But without the sword- "

"Damnit, the sword is not what I was worried about."

"No you were worried about the Shikon no Tama." She said a touch bitterly.

He lowered his face to almost against hers "No, I don't care about the Jewel."

"What?" she asked breathlessly. He leaned forward the last fraction of an inch and kissed her gently "I was worried about you, you idiot."